California legislature passes bill aiming to protect children from abusers during custody disputes

California 's legislature unanimously passed Piqui's Law , named after a 5-year-old murdered by his father following a custody dispute.

The law will bar judges from ordering children into many parental-alienation treatment programs.

Programs that treat "parental alienation" can leave kids with alleged abusers for months or years .

In the past 15 years , 962 children around the country have been murdered by a parental figure involved in a divorce, divorce, or other family court dispute.

Piqui's Law would prohibit judges from ordering reunification treatment that entails a custody transfer, a no-contact order, forcible transport, or "acutely distressing circumstances" The Justice Department will determine which states, if any, qualify for federal funding.